All adults in US now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine
All adults in the United States are now eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine, just in time for President Biden’s Monday deadline for appointments to be available for all adults.
Those 16 and older in every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico are eligible to receive a vaccine as of Monday, which public health experts are labeling as a major win for the country’s effort to reemerge from the pandemic.
Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont were the latest states to open vaccine registration appointments to all adults, according to The New York Times.
Current statistics: More than half of all American adults over 18, or almost 131 million, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 33 percent, or more than 85 million, are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
An average of 3.2 million doses are being administered per day, compared to the about 1.7 million given last month.
Biden’s original target: The president initially had aimed for all adults to have access to COVID-19 vaccines by May 1 before updating the deadline earlier this month.
And the White House is launching a media blitz to get the word out
Top Biden administration health officials are participating in roughly 30 local news interviews across the country, according to a White House official, focusing on markets that have lower vaccination rates in order to boost confidence in vaccines. Some health officials will also participate in national interviews.
The officials include the top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci, White House senior adviser on coronavirus response Andy Slavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 equity Cameron Webb and White House vaccine coordinator Bechara Choucair, according to the official.
President Biden also filmed a brief video that was disseminated on White House social media platforms in which he urges Americans to sign up for their shots.
“Everybody is eligible as of today to get the vaccine. We have enough of it, you need to be protected and you need in turn to protect your neighbors and your family. So please, get the vaccine,” Biden says in the video.
